Researchers Able To Link Specific Gene To High Blood Pressure

Boston (dbTechno) - American researchers have made a breakthrough as they have managed to identify a specific gene variant that is linked directly to the development of high blood pressure.

Yen-Pei Christy Chang led the research that was carried out at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and looked at 542 volunteers in total.

The idea behind the study was to see if they could identify a gene that would make people more likely to have high blood pressure.

All of those who took part in the study were from the Old Order Amish community in Pennsylvania.

What they discovered was that a specific gene variant, the STK39 gene, was linked to high blood pressure or hypertension.

Those who have this variant of the gene were more likely to have high blood pressure compared to those who did not.

It is important to control high blood pressure due to the fact that it has been known to lead to heart attacks, strokes, etc.

The hope is that with this discovery, they will now be able to develop new drugs to target the gene.

The study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.